Similar to what happens on any form of public transportation, many of the passengers aboard the SeaStreak Wall Street high-speed ferry said they already were lining up to get off the ferry as soon as it docked.

The ritual of standing and lining up can start when the boat is passing the Statue of Liberty, riders said.

A no-standing-until-docked policy is being considered, SeaStreak spokesman Bob Dorn said. But National Transportation Safety Board officials told the carrier not to make any policy changes until its investigation is finished and recommendations made.

"That will be part of the investigation and part of the outcome," Dorn said. SeaStreak is conducting its own internal investigation in addition to cooperating with the NTSB's crash probe.

Safety board investigators examined video footage Friday from six cameras on the ferry, one of which was in the passenger cabin before the impact, board member Robert Sumwalt said.

"Before the collision, some left their seats in preparation to disembark," he said. "Some were standing, some were seated (at the time of the collision)."

Clark Dodge, a retired chief engineer for the Washington State Ferry system, said that enacting and enforcing a no-standing-until-docked policy are two different issues.

"Can they enforce a policy? I doubt it, but it's worth a try," said Dodge, who is a marine and engineering consultant.

Aircraft are the only mode of transportation on which such policies are easy to enforce because they have a higher crew-to-passenger ratio than other forms of transportation, he said.

"It's easier to control on a plane. The first thing they tell you is to stay in your seat until you reach the gate and the captain turns off the fasten-seat-belts sign," he said. On ferries, "people get up and walk to the front of the boat. And when something happens, they fall down and get hurt."

Some passengers aboard the Wall Street that day said they might stay seated in the future.

Dodge said the Washington State Ferry system had a no-standing-until-docked policy when he worked there, but it wasn't adhered to.

"On a ferry, people do what is described as 'get close (to the exit) to get off,' " he said.

Similar behavior happens on commuter trains and buses as they approach a station or stop.

While he said it is the right thing to do, Dodge questioned how five crew members could enforce such a policy on a ferry carrying more than 300 passengers.

But Wednesday's accident could do some of the enforcement work, at least while the crash is still fresh in riders minds.